I started 2020 with the attitude of “I’m gonna make this year my b…”. I had planned on a lot of firsts and I was feeling really positive about myself. I had finished compiling, designing and hand-binding a small collection of poems and I was finally going to put a few of them up for sale at a local bookstore. I also planned on a lot of social events that never saw the light of day.
But it wasn’t the worst year. When the lockdown started I didn’t think I could last a month, leave alone 8 or 9. I was concerned that my mental health would snap and I would slip back into old unhealthy patterns; I had been working on myself for over 2 years, and I was afraid the lockdown was going to take it all away. But as I was forced into my house with all my fears, I had no choice but to make friends with the enemy. And given that this virus-shirus is not going away anytime soon, I’d suggest you do too.
Bidding Adieu to 2020
Looking back at this year, we can see a lot of plans that didn’t work out — or we could remind ourselves how well we coped with the uncertain, how we changed ourselves for our own good, learnt a new trick or two, found connections that can light our lives in the bleakest of times and how happiness still found us despite the limited options of avenues. This year, we grew. We were dealt a very different life and we lived it — hell, we thrived at it. The world changed and we changed with it.
When you bid goodbye to 2020, be sure to not hold resentment towards it or yourself. Make sure to pat yourself on the back for giving it your best shot and keeping your head above water — it was hard for all of us. If you are struggling to be positive about this year, here are a few pointers from my own book. I hope they’ll help -
- Look back and make a note of the people who made this rotten year worthwhile and be thankful to have found them.
- You must have learnt a lot of new things. Be it reading a new book, learning how to cook for one, completing an online course or picking up a new hobby, be thankful for the fact that you could invest into yourself.
- Laugh at your boo-boos. You are human and have fault and will most definitely falter. Laughter makes us more flexible in our own high opinions of ourselves and keeps us grounded.
- Cheer yourself up for going through your days and showing up for yourself in whatever way you could — especially if you are struggling with a mental health condition or undergoing severe stress in any area of your life. Isolation can make our existing struggles a lot harder to deal with, so look back on the days you could do it even if they were just a few.
Overall, the message I bear is to end this year on a note of compassion and kindness towards yourself, instead of sulking and pouting about how it wasn’t the same kind of awesome as earlier years. You spun gold out of straw this year and you deserve to take this opportunity to acknowledge that.
